Cultivating Student Reflection

Look Inside: Table of Contents Introduction Book (104 pp.)

Based on a Successful Program at: Cambridgeport School Written by teachers: Katie Charner-Laird, Sarah Fiarman, Frederick Won Park, and Sylvia Soderberg

Description of Cultivating Student Reflection

This book explores the key elements of instruction and assessment that teachers at Cambridgeport use to foster critical thinking skills in elementary students, giving them tools to self-assess, to manage their own learning, to express emotions constructively, and to become creative, confident learners. A central component of this reflection is the school’s portfolio system, which allows students to develop their ability to reflect on, and talk about, their own progress, goals, and learning styles.

Beginning in the fall of 2002, a team of five Cambridgeport teachers spent a year working with the Project for School Innovation to explore and document all of the pieces that go into reflective learning at their school. The lessons that came out of this process are recorded in Cultivating Student Reflection, which is the sixth title in PSI’s By Teachers for Teachers series of how-to books and teacher-led workshops.

Major Topics Covered
Student Assessment, Teaching Techniques, Discipline and Rewards, Supporting Teachers, Curriculum Planning

Table of Contents for Cultivating Student Reflection

1. Introduction: Why Reflective Learning Matters

2. Overview
An introduction to the Cambridgeport School, an outline of this how-to guidebook, and five underlying goals achieved through reflective learning

3. Reflective Instruction
Five strategies for giving your students the tools and techniques they need to be able to reflect

- Creating a Safe Classroom Environment
- Asking Questions
- Building a Thinking Vocabulary
- Making Connections: Learning Logs
- Making Connections: Writer’s Notebooks

4. Reflective Assessment
General ideas for making all your classroom assessments more reflective, and four specific activities to cultivate students’ abilities to self-question, give and receive feedback, and make decisions about their work
- Reflective Assessment: The Big Ideas
- Test Analysis
- Setting Weekly Goals
- Peer Assessments
- Self-Managed Book Groups

5. Connecting Reflection Through Portfolios
Four components of a portfolio program that helps students gain new insight into their work, and their learning styles, and their progress
- Weekly Portfolio Reflections
- Assembling a Portfolio
- Portfolio Day
- Graduation Portfolio Review

6. Being a Reflective Practitioner
Three ways to systematize and deepen teacher reflection—both individually and collaboratively—to develop the capacity to reflect, gain new insights, and use these insights to grow and improve.
- Individual Reflection
- Group Reflection: Staff Review of a Student
- Faculty Study Groups

Praise for Cultivating Student Reflection Books, Videos and Workshops

This session gave excellent guidelines and ideas, and great support in helping to develop goals and a plan.

Participant, Cultivating Student Reflection workshop

The presenters were insightful and encouraging.

Participant, Cultivating Student Reflection workshop

This session was reflective—I learned more about myself and others’ teaching practices.

Participant, Cultivating Student Reflection workshop

The best part of this session was other teachers sharing real ideas that they are currently (successfully) using.

Patricipant, Cultivating Student Reflection workshop

PSI Can Help You Implement These Strategies:

Customized Workshops
Our staff can come to your school to help you implement these school-tested strategies for cultivating reflection in your classroom.

School Visits
We can coordinate a visit to the Cambridgeport School, so you can see their successful strategies first hand.

Planning Tools
PSI can help you create a personalized step-by-step strategy for implementing successful reflective practices in your school.

Workshop/Presentation Roundup

The Cultivating Student Reflection team has led presentations at:

• Massachusetts Charter School Association, Worcester, MA, 2004

...and workshops for educators from:

• Conservatory Lab Charter School, Brighton, MA

• Roxbury Charter High School, Roxbury, MA

Useful Links for Reflective Educators

Teachers Network

Responsive Classroom